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I remember when Marina Tuna Seafood Market & Restaurant was just a small, unassuming eatery sitting along the highway in one of the sleepy parts of Davao City. But I can also recall how much my friends and I instantly loved their cooking, especially their deep-fried tail of tuna — so crunchy on the outside yet heavenly soft and tender and tasty on the inside.
Since I was always at the Insular Hotel (now known as the Waterfront Insular) back then, I’d often find myself gravitating towards Marina Tuna for lunch or dinner. This was maybe a decade ago, and it was like a well-kept secret among the city’s restaurant aficionados.
Today, Marina Tuna is a complex of dining areas, function rooms, a take-out shop, and even a kiosk for tuna burgers and other goodies. Restaurants that last this long in Davao are those that have hit upon that elusive formula of good food, good service and affordable prices.
Yesterday was my first time back in years. I was taken by surprise at how big the place had grown. They even have a touristy area where they have huge tanks populated by not-commonly-seen fish. They call it the Marina Aquatic World. It was the m magazine Christmas party last night, and I guess they invited me because I contributed one article for their second issue.
Marina Tuna probably isn’t the first place you’d think of for an office party, but I’m sure glad the m mag people chose it. The gastronomic spread was fantastic last night! We had super fresh tuna sashimi, kinilaw na malasugui, deep-fried shrimp, swordfish belly, humongous crabs, chop suey, asparagus… It was a feast!
The most enjoyable dish for me was the deep-fried shrimp. It didn’t come with any sauce or dip, just the crunchy mid-sized shrimp served in a big plate. I ate those tasty things whole — head & tail and all!
The sashimi and kinilaw were OK. Very fresh, of course, but they don’t seem to know how to serve wasabi — it was almost dessicated. And the shoyu, it wasn’t of good quality and was rather too salty.
I didn’t know that Marina Tuna served crab, but there it was! And they were really sumptuous. I dug in and ate with my hands (no other way to eat crab). The sauce tasted like sate, but I couldn’t be sure. I was enjoying myself too much to care by that time anyway…
The steamed pompano was also a big hit. I could’ve eaten more of it if it hadn’t been for the crab and shrimp. I really loved the sauce, though: just like how I made it when I prepared steamed sole in garlic, ginger and soy sauce for my friends way back when.
What I didn’t like was the swordfish. For me, this fish is best served grilled or maybe even deep-fried. But at the party, the swordfish belly cutlets were served adobo-style. This type of cooking really brings out the overwhelming (and nauseating) greasy fattiness of swordfish, white marlin or any of that family of deep-sea fish.
Marina Tuna’s vegetable offerings weren’t bad either. The chop suey was very good, and so was the taste of the asparagus dish (because it came with a generous helping of garlic)… but they served the lower portion of the stems, so that was a bit of a let down.
On the whole, I’m happy to tell you that Marina Tuna is still very much a place for highly satisfying and enjoyable food. The place is far removed from downtown Davao, but the trip will be worth it, trust me! It’s not what you might consider ‘well-appointed’ (stackable chairs and tables, for one), but the dining areas are air-conditioned and the service is decent. Oh, one thing though: prepare to be assaulted by a fishy smell that’s almost stinky the moment you walk in. Other than that, I’m sure you’ll appreciate Marina Tuna’s gastronomic delights.
Their address: Km 8 (National Hway), Bo. Pampanga, Sasa, Davao City. Tel.: 233-2666. They also deliver and offer catering services. Call 235-8653 for that. You can also email them: marinatuna[at]yahoo[dot]com. They do have free wifi there, so it won’t be weird for you to bring your laptops or other Internet-enabled gadgets while enjoying their very palatable offerings.
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waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.. tagal ko na sa davao pero di pa ako naka kain dyan!
looks yummy!
@MiGs — Pagbalik mo sa Davao, kain tayo doon.
YEY!!!!
Sige!
January Birthday ko.. sana libre niyo ako dun… ehem…
Parang baligtad yata ah, brader…
Haven’t eaten there for a long time, but I remember how great their food is especially the white marlin.
@MiGs: wala po tayo sa states.
Tagal ka na rin pala di nakapunta doon, Drew? Then it’s high time the bloggers went there for a food trip! Food trip sa birthday ni Brader MiGs™!
Sana may mag sponsor! wahahahhahaha dahil for sure mahal yan
@MiGs — Pa-sponsor mo boss mo!
Never leave davao without ten ways of marina tuna
Hello,
Would you be able to give me an idea on the price per order?
Hello Jane. Sorry, but the price of each order varies a lot from one to another. If you get, say, the 10-way tuna, that’s going to be much more expensive than their chop suey dish.
However, to give you an idea of how much you’d shell out on average, I’d say it’s around ₱350 per person.